HONOR YOUR CALLING

"To thyself be true.... Shakespeare".

 Do you feel out of alignment? Do you feel a deeper yearning? You see you are created for a purpose. You have a part to play in this world. There is a place where you truly belong in the whole, the place where you function well the most, the place where you most fit. I like to make use of this example, assuming you are a steering wheel and your part belong in a car, but instead you chose to function as a Tyre you will not fulfill your purpose in this regard, in fact you will not experience speed because your nature is not to make contact with the tarred road, rough road or the ground but to guard the Tyre and the whole arsenal of vehicle in the direction that it should go. It would end up being a total disappointment and a sense of satisfaction will be far from reach. This is exactly how many people are. They are out of alignment with their true purpose on earth, they are not honoring their calling, they are not paying attention to the inner signal, that subtle voice within. They lack a sense of direction because they have become the steering wheel instead of the Tyre. We are created for a purpose. if we fail to align ourselves to the proper place we are called to occupy on earth we will experience low satisfaction which many seek to reach by immersing themselves in consumerism. The happiness that comes from staying in our proper place can't be gotten from material things. People who have discovered and go after their callings are less concern about material things. Not that all these life necessity don't matter to them but when they talk they don't place emphasizes on all these things but place emphasis on what truly bring them alive, what excites them, what they intend to achieve in the sense of contributing positively to others with their talents, their gift, how a sense of contributing make them feel alive. People who lack a sense of purpose usually place too much emphasis on material things, their whole goal is to get the promotion, get an increase in salary which brings them a short term happiness anyway. To a man of purpose all these are added benefit that comes from the life that is experiencing a true sense of calling. Promotion, big salaries, new cars, awards, trophies, houses which many people are after only stand as a added benefit and not the means of happiness of those who are truly in their place of assignment on earth. When you honor your calling, you will achieve your full potential. 

Honoring your calling starts with listening to that voice within. There is this inbuilt inner compass within each of us that whisper to us the direction we should go in life. This whisper has a way of escaping through our fingers, legs, voice  our body and our actions. This whisper flow through our being with love. Hence they serve as hint to where we really belong on earth. While some people easily obey the voice within by aligning themselves to their place of calling others find it difficult to follow that path providence has found for them because they are afraid of being laughed at, are afraid of being called a weirdo, are afraid of being rejected, are afraid of being called crazy are afraid of the negative attitude of society. They are afraid to accept the place of their calling because of the challenges associated with going through that path alone. These challenges are often psychological torture  arising from societal negative attitude in accepting them for what they really represent . The three personalities that I truly respect for their courage in the entertainment industry are Derinle Ebun, Lagbaja, and Charly boy. These three personalities did not yield to societal negative attitude against them. There achievement in this regard is a heroic one. These three personalities insisted upon themselves. They embraced the nature and requirement of their talents. This of course takes a lot of psychological and emotional  breakthrough. Derinle's courage blew my mind the most as he shared  his experiences on Tv while he was being interviewed by a presenter. Imagine getting on a bus and every passengers started alighting the bus simply because you appeared abnormal to them. Imagine wearing a long heel boots, jackets of many zips and bottoms paired with crazy accessories and wearing a lengthy wig on your head and every one starts starring and keep  imagining if you really are normal. Imagine the kind of treatment Lagbaja experienced when he first came out all dressed up in a modern masquerade costume, imagine the way he was received by the member of his own family, imagine the psychological pain he went through when members of his environment sees his concept or idea as a crazy one, imagine the whole psychological and emotional processes that accompanies adjusting to the demand of his calling.  What about Charley boy? Imagine the whole accusation and negative attitude thrown across the internet against his kind of life style, imagine the emotional and psychological pain that accompanies such challenges.  It takes courage remain true to ones calling in such tough moments. It take lots of courage to endure such negative attitude from the society. Being courageous requires that we learn to stand alone and draw strength from ourselves. Being courageous require that we accept our calling and that internal light that guide us in the right direction. Being courageous requires we accept ourselves as different and unique individuals and as such expect to be treated differently. We are social being. We are species that seek to form bonds. Our nature require that we exist in relationships. The core aspect of our existence lies in forming bonds. Our first relationship in the word starts with our families who develop us and help us to form bonds in the society. As a result we have learned to follow norms and voices which are planted in our subconscious right from childhood. The voices of parents, siblings, spiritual figures, public figures friends and teacher lies strongly beneath our subconscious which form our beliefs, value and which guide our decisions. In every individuals exist that subtle voice, that divine compass which tend to instruct us to follow a certain direction in life. Many find it difficult to yield this voice because it tend to lead them beyond the mainstream, convention or orthodox as those numerous voices tend to shut that divine voice. Going away from convention often means standing alone, often means going through mental, emotional and psychological challenges as members of society or friends and families often act as obstacles in the way of fully expressing our true nature. 

The prize of greatness is attached to suffering. The nature of this  suffering is often time emotional, mental and psychological. Being courageous is an integral aspect of honoring ones calling. The willingness to insist upon yourself, to stand alone, to reason for yourself, to refuse to conform to norm is a heroic achievement. When you learn to think for yourself you grow in wisdom and understanding. When you understand that different kind of people with different grades of knowledge, nature of thinking, grades of exposure and understanding exist with you within your immediate environment and society at large you will learn to treat people with empathy and rise above chaos  and challenges that accompanies your nature of talent. Society often think they know what your duty is. They strive to instruct your every action and when you don't conform they treat you as an outcast or an Alien.  You have to insist upon yourself, let your true nature speak. Develop emotional maturity, develop courage because this is what you need especially when that path providence found for you is new. Soon enough society will come to accept you as you are and recognize your place among the independent thinkers. The major reason majority don't honor their calling is because they have not learned to think for themselves, they  let many voices cloud their sense of self. You have to express your true nature in order to experience meaning and purpose in life. Making the choice to stand alone despite opposition is an heroic achievement.  When you understand that this torturous and lonely journey is for the greater good you will experience a sense of purpose, you become one with the divine within and you will find meaning even in suffering emotionally and psychologically. 

Thanks for reading this article. I dedicate this article to God Almighty who is the source of inspiration and knowledge. 
Written by : Uwagboe Anthonia Peace.